Rope releasing device



1949- w. H. MUSSMAN 2,478,124

ROPE RELEASING DEVICE Filed July 15, 1946 I uz'eutor WW 5m Patented Aug. 2,1949

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,478,124 ROPE RELEASING DEVICE Willard H. Mussman, Vinton, Iowa Application July 12, 1946, Serial No. 683551 Claims. (01. 280-150) This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in rope releasing devices, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herein described,'such as may be effectively and conveniently employed in association with ropes used for hitching plows, cultivators, and the like to tractors and other sources of motive power.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rope releasing device which will automatically disconnect the rope from the tractor when the implement being drawn has encountered some form of an obstacle, which circumstance would otherwise result in possible damage to such implement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rope releasing device which is universally applicable to all forms of implements and sources of motive power used for drawing the same and which may be readily installed in position.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a rope releasing device which may be readily connected after it has been automatically released.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rope releasing device which is simple in construction and operation and which will not easily become damaged.

With the above more important objects in view and such other objects as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 2--2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3 in Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a bracket used in the invention.

Like characters of reference are used to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention embodies in its construction a helical tension spring 5 provided at the ends thereof with the eyes 6 and l, the eye 5 being secured to suitable supporting structure such as is exemplified in the drawing by the angle bracket 8.

This bracket is configurated substantially as shown in Figure 4 and is formed with a pair of apertures 9, one of which is used to receive the aforementioned eye 6 of the spring 5, while a bolt I0 is passed through the remaining aperture 9, whereby the device as a whole may be conveniently secured to the underside of the tractor seat, or the like, II.

A ring i2 is flexibly mounted on the eye 6 of the spring 5 as will be clearly apparent from the accompanying drawings, while the remaining eye is anchored in a suitable aperture l3 formed in the relatively short arm' 14 of a substantially L-shaped coupling bar, designated generally by the reference character l5.

The relatively long arm l6 of this bar is removably receivable in the ring l2 and a ring-like collar IT is loosely positioned at the junction of the arms I4, I 6, as is best shown in Figure 1. One end of the hitching rope I8 is secured to the collar H, and the operation of the invention will now be explained.

When the invention is placed in use, the device is arranged substantially as shown in Figure 1, wherein the movement of the tractor and associated seat II will be imparted to the implement (not shown) through the medium of the already described structure of this invention.

When the implement encounters an obstacle, the rope l8 will exert a force in the direction of the arrow l9 upon the bar l5, causing the disengagement of the arm Hi from the ring l2. Thereupon, the arm 16 will swing downwardly in the direction of the arrow 20 about the eye 1 and the collar I! will simply slide off the free end of the arm Hi. It will be apparent that in this manner, the rope l8 and the associated collar I! will be automatically released from the remaining components of the invention which are associated with the tractor seat ll.

After the obstruction has been removed, the device may be readily connected by simply reversing the operation above explained.

It is believed that the use and advantages of the invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is considered unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A rope releasing device comprising in combination, a resilient member anchored at one end thereof directly to supporting structure, a ring loosely secured directly to the anchored end of said member, and a coupling bar directly connected at one end thereof to the opposite end of said member, the opposite end of said bar being removably disposed directly in said ring.

2. A rope releasing device comprising in combination, a coil spring anchored at one end thereof directly to supporting structure, a ring loosely secured directly to the anchofedend of said spring, asubstantially L-shap'ed" coupling" bar loosely secured directly at one end thereof to the opposite end of said spring, the opposite end of? said bar being removably disposed directly insaid ring, and a rope attaching collar positibfiedi'fitermediate the length of said bar.

3. A rope releasing device comprising in combination, a bracket secured to suppbrting struc ture and provided with an aperture, a helical tension spring formed with an eye at each end thereof, one of said eyes disposed directly in said aperture and anchoring saidspring to said bracket, a ring loosely connected directly tothe anchored of said eyes, a substantially L-shapedl coupling bar, the other eye ofsaid spring being 25 1,294,696

connected directly to the relatively short arm of said bar, the relatively long arm of said bar being removably disposed directly in said ring;v and a ring-like collar loosely positioned on said bar at the junction of said arms for attaching. av rope to said collar.

4. In a rope releasing, device, a support, a spring having an eye at each end thereof; a first of said eyes secured directly to said support and a ring loosely secured directly to said first eye, a coupling bar secured directly to the second eye in said spring, and a predetermined portion of said coupling bar detachably secured directly in said ring.

5. In a release device, a support, a spring having a first eye at one end thereof and a second eye at the opposite end thereof, said first eye being-loosely disposed in said support, a substantially Lsh'ape'd bar having. a shorter leg and a longer leg, said shorter leg being pivotally attached directly to said second eye, a ring loosely attached directly to said first eye, said longer leg being disposed directly in said ring, and said bar being adaptedlto accommodate a rope.

WILLARD H. MUSSMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

STATES PATENTS Number- Name Date Over -M Feb. 18, 1919' 1-,786,314 Passmel Dec. 23, 1930 2,185,454 You-ng- Jan. 2, 1 940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number I Country Date 195,809 Switzerland May 2, 1938 120L877 switzerlandumuss Mar. 1, 1-939- 

